The Italy international explains that the chance to play in Turin gave Antonio Conte's men an "added boost" but he freely admits that Benfica represent formidable semi-final foes

Claudio Marchisio has admitted that he and his Juventus team-mates have been driven on by the prospect of a 'home' Europa League final from the moment they were knocked out of this season's Champions League.

The Bianconeri were initially distraught following their group-stage elimination from the continent's premier club cup competition after a controversial 1-0 defeat at the hands of Galatasaray in December.

However, Marchisio has explained that the fact that the Europa League final was being staged in their own Juventus Stadium enabled Antonio Conte's men to put their Istanbul heartbreak quickly behind them.

"We knew [the tournament decider would be in Turin] right from the start, when we began in the group stage of the Champions League," the midfielder told UEFA.com.

"When we didn't qualify and moved into the knockout phase of the Europa League, the fact that the final would be at home clearly gave us an added boost."

However, Marchisio freely admits that Juventus still have it all to do to reach the final, having been paired with last year's runners-up, Benfica, in the last four.

The Bianconeri travel to the Estadio da Luz for Thursday's first leg and the Italy international is anticipating a tough game against a side that are brimming with confidence after being crowned champions of Portugal at the weekend.

"We'll come up against a side that in recent years, not only in their own league but in competitions like the Europa League, have done really well - even if they have lost some finals," Marchisio mused.

"Clearly, they have the experience and the players with the qualities and characteristics to cause us difficulty. We have to think about them and think of the game as another final.

"There will be two quality teams that will try and put on a spectacle in these two matches. For our part, we hope we have the right belief to reach our objective, which is to play the final in Turin."